Examining the Role of Public-Private Partnerships in K-12 Career Readiness

Abstract

This paper explore the central questions: Is there a skills gap in the U.S. work force? If so, what role does K-12 education play in solving the problem, and can public-private partnerships support their effort while truly benefiting students? For many educators, this is uncharted territory, and the viewpoint presented in this paper is that it is incumbent upon corporate leaders to enter into public-private partnerships with the educators in their community in order to do the following: Connection of educational achievement with the skills required for careers, creating a shared language between K-12 educators and corporate America; Agreement upon the key “Career Readiness” milestones to ensure that students are graduating from high school with passion, purpose, and a plan. By investing corporate, community, policy and educational resources in these two areas, significant progress can be made to increase the high school graduation rate, reduce the unemployment rate, prepare our middle and high school students for the in-demand jobs today, and prepare the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow.